Is e-writing a friend or an enemy to the acquisition of ... slides/Lin Chiung Yao.pdf · Is e-writing a friend or an enemy to the acquisition of Chinese characters ? 电脑对汉字习得是助力还是阻力？

Is e-writing a friend or an enemy to the acquisition of Chinese characters ? 电脑对汉字习得是助力还是阻力？

Lin Chiung Yao Centre for Language Studies

A. Introduction

B. Literature review and theoretical basis

C. Research Methods

D. Findings and discussion

E. Conclusion

1. Teaching Chinese characters has always been the challenge 2. Computer and Internet Technology provide new possibilities:

a. Pin Yin input/type and select b. Animated demonstration of writing on line c. Handwriting input

A. Introduction

**Research Question：Is handwriting necessary for Chinese character acquisition? 电脑是汉字习得的敌人还是朋友？

Handwriting v.s. e-writing

Supporters Handwriting is out：not practical and inefficient, higher chance to make mistakes.

Opponents Typing weakens the acquisition of Chinese writing. It has negative impact in a long run

A. Introduction

1. The pros and cons of handwriting： • Strengthen the knowledge of strokes, order, and parts • Beneficial to long-term memory • Difficult, requires long term efforts, students feel frustrated

2. The pros and cons of Pin Yin input： • Shorten the gap between speaking and writing capability,

be able to write(type) essays even in beginner’s level。 • Time-efficiency • Easy to master, increase sense of achievement • Become dependent on selecting from the word list, and

unable to have independent output

Input

methods speed Output from

scratch Knowledge +

long term memory

Motivation

Handwriting Slow no yes* negative Pin Yin fast* yes* No positive*

A. Introduction

B.Literature review and theoretical basis

• 黄亦敏(2013)：Both handwriting and e-writing are useful in different learning stages. Handwriting strengthens the memory of details and individual strokes and helps long term memory. E-writing brings forward the writing output.

• Ye Lijuan(2013): Survey on 914 students and 192 teachers of TCFL. Most schools teach speaking and writing at the same time，but once informed of the benefits of separating them, all opt for speaking first, writing later approach。Majority agree that e-writing eases the burden of writing.

• Xu Yi et al. (2013): Handwriting and animated strokes demonstration helps improve learners with basic Character knowledge to recognize characters and read. Speaking helps to retrieve semantics and pronunciation better. Animated demonstration works better than handwriting in retrieving semantics, but handwriting works best in helping learners to have independent output in writing.

• 谢天蔚(2012)：Different methods for different levels. Beginner 1 learns handwriting, Beginner 2 both; intermediate one and two only typing; Advanced level select freely. Students are able to finish assignment by typing, and increase the reading speed.

• Kang, Hana (2011): Right stroke orders improve the accuracy. Students perceive typing as helpful in composition. Intermediate learners think handwriting is helpful for them to write more organized and clearly in composition. Typing decrease errors, but there is no significant difference between handwriting and typing when learning a new word.

• 张悦(2005)：The best time to teach typing and when learners are learning Hanyu Pinyin. • 焦晓晓(2005)：For level 1, typing as the core, handwriting as the minor；Gradually increase the

handwriting and eventually only handwriting. • Tan et al. (2005) ：Hanzi is different from alphabetical languages, Hanzi needs writing to improve

the reading. The reading proficiency is closely related to the writing one. • 何文潮(2001)：Students who use computer to learn writing is advanced for a year. “Computer

typing is the golden key for beginner learners”. • 任长慧和徐平(2000)：Promote pen-less writing in beginner level，typing eases the burden,

strengthen the link between Hanzi and phonetics, bring forward the writing output.

Neurolinguistic：

Fig.1: Left brain function

Brain activation differ between phonetic and non-phonetic languages learning • Language zone：“Broca’s area”and “Wernicke’s area”。 • Wernicke’s area process meanings/semantics phonetic language • Broca’s area takes care of transferring meanings to sounds then

characters/letters picture languages like Chinese • Broca’s area is the speech centre which is next to the motor neuron area; while

Wernicke’s are is close to listening centre. • Chinese Memorization depend “motor”movement; while English

depends on listening and speaking.

Neurolinguistic ： • Adult learners are more dependent on visuals: reading Chinese characters is often a

glance of the character as a whole picture, instead of details noticing details like strokes. Only by tracing characters in hand movement, does the information of details and strokes noticed and memorized.

• Ebbinghaus forgetting curve：Hermann Ebbinghaus (January 24, 1850 – February 26, 1909) was a German psychologist who pioneered the experimental study of memory, and is known for his discovery of the forgetting curve and the spacing effect. He was also the first person to describe the learning curve. The forgetting curve describes the exponential loss of information that one has learned. The sharpest decline occurs in the first twenty minutes and the decay is significant through the first hour. The curve levels off after about one day.人的记忆能力与所记忆的材料性质有很大的关系。生动的、形象的材料容易保持长久记忆，枯燥和抽象的材料则不易保存。

C. Research Methods Research question： 1) Is handwriting necessary for the acquisition of Chinese character? 2) Is computer a friend or an enemy of Chinese

character learning?

Hypothesis： E-Handwriting can tap on both the benefits of typing and handwriting, i.e. handwriting is consistent with the motor movement required for learning Chinese characters, and strengthening the memorization, while typing and selecting from the wordlist decrease mistakes and bring forward essay writing.

C. Research Methods •Subjects：51 beginner learners •Time period：Aug.-Nov., 2014 •Methods： Pre ：introduce software, APPs, and websites; demonstrate e-handwriting. During ：Encourage learners to use smart phone or pad computers in classes to check on new words Post ：Assign group project by typing. •Data collection： 1) Questionnaire(Close and open questions/Qualitative and quantitative） 2) Performances


Gender Age Year of study Faculty

F：25

M：13

19：13人

21：9人

22: 9人

23: 2人

24: 3人

25: 2人

Year 1: 1人 Science：21人

Year 2：23人 Business：4 人

Year 3：3人 FASS：10人

Year 4：8人 Property

Development：1人

Graduate：3人 Architect：1人

Part one: background information （51 questionnaire issued，38 returned ）


• Computer and Internet ownership： – 100% owns mobile devices – 45% owns two or more devices – 23% owns desk top computers too – 84.2% has internet access at home

• Learning language on internet： – 42.1% is experienced Chinese：2人；English：3人；Japanese：2人 Korean：2人；French：2人；Spanish：2人 Hindi: 2人；Dutch：1人；Arabics：1人 — 0% Learn Chinese characters on line

Smart phone 74%

pad电脑 26%

020406080

100

Internetlearning

notexperienced57.9%

Experienced42.1%


• Benefit of learning language on lien： – 57.9% anytime anywhere/ubiquitous – 44.7% autonomy，learn at one’s own pace – 42.1% free of charge – 34.2% no pressure – 13.2% effective – 5.3% others（variety）

• Learn Chinese writing by oneself：52.6%（Methods: animated stroke orders, books, friends, write repeatedly）

Content of on-line learning

听 21%

说 18%

读 18%

写 (英、日、法、德

文)7.8%


The application of Apps and websites • 78.9% used Apps；Most popular Apps is: Pleco (31.6%)

Reason for using the recommended Apps使用推荐软件的理由：63.1% effective；21.1% recommended by friends；15.8% recommended by teachers Effective in what way：dictionary (26%); fast and efficient(24%); handwriting input (13%); mobile learning (7.8%) • It helps me to practise writing the characters. Also, it helps me to

practise communicating with my fellow Chinese speaking friends. • I can find right characters what I want to know as the app can read my

handwriting. • look for words meaning by keying characters or pinyin • get to learn on the go • very useful to look up characters on the go by handwriting or pinyin

input if you forgot something

Did you visit the website？

Yes 78.9%No 21.1%


0.00%10.00%20.00%30.00%40.00%50.00%60.00%

twice ormore aweek

twice aweek once a week

once or lessa month only before

tests

57.90%

7.90%

0 10.50%

2.60%

How often do you use the mobile Apps?


0.00%20.00%40.00%60.00%80.00% 71.10%

63.20%

15.80% 31.60%

2.60%

Where do you use the mobile Apps?


0.00%20.00%40.00%60.00%80.00% 63.20%

55.30%

26.30% 36.80%

0.00%

The benefit of the handwriting input?


Compare writing with a pen, pinyin input

and e-handwriting

Pen Pinyin input E-handwriting

Average time

9 mins (3) 5 mins (1) 8.88 mins (2)

errors yes (2) Cannot input new words (3)

no (1)


• Preferences to mobile Apps： • Lickert 5-point scale

（1-strongly disagree，2-disagree，3-neutural，4-agree，5-strongly agree）

Pinyin input is useful

E-handwritng is useful

New word list is useful

Computer enabled writing on pdf

documents is useful

Mean 4.18 4.16 3.97 3.63

Std. Deviation 0.730 0.718 0.636 0.633

Technical quality is good

I like using Apps to learn

After using Apps, I am more open to

use Apps to learn in future

Mean 3.95 3.95 4.16

Std. Deviation 0.733 0.928 0.860

Very useful if you're already interested but they don't really add any motivation, just make it easier to learn They will be useful since students nowadays are constantly connected to the Internet. Apps would be more likely to be preferred since apps suit well with mobile devices, which most students have. (natural life style) It is a good idea to assist Chinese learning. It's a good way to recognize characters without any basic (not knowing the sound), and very reliable. It can be used independently I think it's useless. (did not even try)

Question：Any other feedbacks on using computer/internet to learn Chinese？


I am quite satisfied with the websites provided, so no additional functions so far. I have not attempted any exercises suggested by the websites. English --> Chinese translation for apps (translation) Sorry! I don't use websites, I think it's quite a hassle and not as effective. more phrases auto search through camera (text-reader) Have grammar information Maybe it would better enhance the learning process if there are exercises of different levels of difficulty. Converting an entire sentence of characters into pinyin, to help us read.(text-reader) The wrong usage of Chinese characters. Eg: 'like' is the verb to come first and wrong usage of the words (self-correction) Sentence formation, mistakes on sentence formation(self-correction) create your own word lists (individualized) Pictures (visual) translation for sentences and phrases (translation) I think it's good already. text to speech (text-reader) complete character readers (text-reader)

Qustion：What other functions do you wish to see in computer software or websites？



Group Project performance： • All are able to accomplish and finish e-writing an essay • All mistakes are failure to differentiate Homonyms

• 你是国大的学生马？（正确：吗） • 你的家乡在那儿？（正确：哪） • 一共多小钱？（正确：少） • 一共四快（正确：块） • 情爱的（正确：亲爱的） • 我会写这个汉子了！（正确：汉字） • 十二月我去北京路行。（正确：旅行） • 很高心认识你。（正确：高兴） • 非常俄！（正确：饿） • 你的话语讲得好好哦！（正确：华语）

E. Conclusion Hypothesis： E-Handwriting can tap on both the benefits of typing and handwriting, i.e. handwriting is consistent with the motor movement required for learning Chinese characters, and strengthening the memorization, while typing and selecting from the wordlist decrease mistakes and bring forward essay writing. Supported: 1. Strengthen the memorization, bring forward the essay writing all participants are able

to type the group project work, using new words with high accuracy. Bring forward the essay writing capability which would not be possible with pen-writing from scratch.

2. Decrease the errors Speed：Pinyin input > e-handwriting > pen Accuracy：e-handwriting > pinyin input > pen Other benefits： 1. Motivation students are more open to use APP in future learning (4.16)。 2. 63.1% choose e-handwriting for its effectiveness 3. Learners acknowledge the benefits of e-handwriting：helpful in learning new words

(26%); efficient and convenient (24%); e-handwriting (13%); mobility (7.8%).

E. Conclusion Research question：

1) Is handwriting necessary for the acquisition of Chinese character? 2) Is computer a friend or an enemy of Chinese character learning?

Conclusion：If used correctly，computer is a friend of Chinese character learning.

Questions: Using e-handwriting seems to be a right direction, but many problems to be solved： 1. How to prevent learners from using mobile devices for other purposes than learning in classes？ 2. How to motivate learners to use the suggested Apps and websites？Suggestions：Design

them as part of class activity（games、contest） 3. Is learners’ level and age a variable in deciding the effectiveness or reception？（Is it

applicable for all learners in different age groups and backgrounds） 4. Is the complexity level of Chinese characters a variable？(e.g. do we need computer to learn

simple Chinese characters?（It is applicable to all new words, such as a dictionary） 5. Future research：effect study（e.g.：control group and experiment group）

Lin Chiung Yao Centre for Language Studies

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Is e-writing a friend or an enemy to the acquisition of ... slides/Lin Chiung Yao.pdf · Is e-writing a friend or an enemy to the acquisition of Chinese characters ? 电脑对汉字习得是助力还是阻力？